Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“Tillie—”
“The truth is, I’ve only felt truly alive when you’re around.”
“Sweetheart—”
“I’m not asking for promises, Ryder. I just want you.”
“Fuck me,” he hisses, his words startling me.
“What?” I ask, unsure if he’s upset or if that’s an invitation. It’s an invitation I wouldn’t mind taking him up on, but at the same time I wonder if I have the courage.
“I was a blind fool.”
“I don’t know what—”
“I had the world within reach, Tillie, and I couldn’t see it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m giving you promises, sweetheart. We do this and there’s no looking back. We only go forward.”
“Ryder…”
“I'm not pressuring you, Tillie. You can take all the time you want. I’ll be right here waiting, but I’m not stopping at one night with you. We do this, we go forward together. We become an us.”
“An Us? Are you saying you want me to be your girlfriend?” I sound incredulous, but I can’t help it. I am.
“I want much more than that, but we will begin there.”
“You don’t have to say all this, Ryder.”
He moves to take my hand in his. I thought he wanted to hold hands, but that’s not it. Slowly he pulls my hand down so that he’s able to cup it over his hard cock. “Trust me, Buttons.” His words sound like a plea. They’re soft, filled with an emotion that I can’t identify and that—combined with the gentleness on his face—is my undoing. My hand stretches over the outline of his length, and I squeeze on reflex. “I’m right where I want to be. I’m telling you what I want, not what might get me laid. If you aren’t ready, we can wait. I’m not going anywhere. You’re all I want.”
“You are though. You have to go back to Texas.”
“We talked about that, Tillie. If we want to, we can make the distance work.”
“Ryder…” I sigh.
“And, Buttons, I really fucking want this to work.”
I swallow, unable to look away from him. “Where does that leave us?” I breathe out, feeling as if I’m about to jump off a cliff.
“You need to decide if you need more time or if you’re ready to keep going forward with me. I’m telling you right now that I’m good with either decision, because I’m with you and that’s better than anything I’ve ever had.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I’m telling you the truth.”
“You barely know me,” I point out.
He lets out a deep breath and shakes his head. “Forget it,” he growls.
I move away from him, my heart feeling as if it is being submerged in pain. It’s my own fault. I kept giving him reason to back out. I should have just taken what he offered. I could have at least had a taste of him.
“Okay,” I whisper, fighting for breath. I know I’m trembling, but I ignore it. I can’t let him see me crumble. That will happen after he leaves. When I’m alone. I gasp as he moves quickly, shifting us in bed so that he’s over me and I’m flat on my back. “Wh-what are you doing?” I squeak, as he captures my hands above my head in one of his.
“I’m going to fuck you until you realize just how much I want you, Buttons,” he whispers his hot breath fanning against my skin as he runs his nose along my neck. His voice is low and throaty, and I bite my lip to keep from moaning. “And if you’re a really good girl, after I fuck you, I’ll take you again, slower and much softer.”
“You will?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. I’ll go very slow, and I won’t let you come until you beg me.”
“Oh, God,” I whimper, my eyes closing as I imagine him doing just that.
Tillie
“Have I told you how much I love my jersey on you, Buttons?” he groans.
I look up at him, entranced at how beautiful he is. His hand is still holding both of mine, encircling my wrists and holding me his prisoner.
I lick my lips. “You may have mentioned it,” I murmur.
He grabs my hips, rocking me back as his eyes trail over me. “I’m never going to let you wear anything else. You’re either naked with me draped over your body, or you have my shirt on when I can’t be with you. That way, a part of me is with you when I can’t be.”
A part of me is with you when I can’t be. Damn. I am swamped with emotion, but I shove it away. I’ll think about that later.
“That would be kind of awkward at work,” I attempt to joke.
He shakes his head. “I meant in bed, but I just might demand it at work, too, now.” He shifts his position so that his knee bends into the mattress and he supports his own weight. The pads of his fingers slide against my stomach. I suck in a breath because his touch feels as if it is branding my skin. I bite into my lip and lift my hands that he lets go. He smiles his approval as he pulls the jersey up over my head tossing it to the floor.